2 Chronicles 2: Solomon and Huram of Tyre prepare to build the house
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What happens?
Solomon decides to build a house for Yahweh's name and a house for his kingdom, and counts out workers: seventy thousand to carry burdens, eighty thousand stone cutters, and three thousand six hundred overseers. He sends to Huram king of Tyre for cedar and for a skilled craftsman, and promises wheat, barley, wine and oil. Huram answers in writing, blesses Yahweh, sends a skilled man named Huram-abi, and says how the wood will come by sea to Joppa. Solomon then counts the foreigners in Israel and sets them to the same work.
Who is speaking?
The narrator tells the story. No verse is in gold: God speaks no words of his own in this chapter. Solomon's message to Huram is quoted in verses 3 to 10. Huram's written answer is quoted in verses 11 to 16, and in it Huram speaks of Yahweh and blesses him; those are Huram's words, not God's. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1Now Solomon decided to build a house for Yahweh’s name, and a house for his kingdom.
In plain English: Solomon said he would build (or: decided to build) a house for Yahweh's name and a house for his kingdom.
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2Solomon counted out seventy thousand men to bear burdens, eighty thousand men who were stone cutters in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them.
In plain English: Solomon counted out seventy thousand men to carry burdens, eighty thousand men who were stone cutters in the hill country, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them.
Good to know: gives the same seventy thousand who carried burdens and eighty thousand stone cutters, and then says "three thousand three hundred" were over the work. This verse and verse 18 say three thousand six hundred. The text does not explain the difference.
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3Solomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, “As you dealt with David my father, and sent him cedars to build him a house in which to dwell, so deal with me.
In plain English: Solomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, "As you dealt with David my father, and sent him cedars to build him a house in which to live, so deal with me.
The Hebrew word: The king of Tyre is called Huram in this chapter. and call the king of Tyre "Hiram", spelled differently in Hebrew (Chiram, against Churam here). The text does not say more than that.
Good to know: In Hiram sends his servants to Solomon first, and then Solomon sends to Hiram. In this chapter Solomon sends to Huram, and there is no earlier message from him.
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4Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God, to dedicate it to him, to burn before him incense of sweet spices, for the continual show bread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, on the new moons, and on the set feasts of Yahweh our God. This is an ordinance forever to Israel.
In plain English: I am about to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God, to set it apart for him, to burn sweet-smelling incense before him, for the continual rows of bread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, on the new moons and on the appointed feasts of Yahweh our God. This is for ever on Israel.
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5“The house which I am building will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.
In plain English: The house which I am about to build will be great, for our God is greater than all the gods.
The Hebrew word: "God" and "gods" in "our God is greater than all the gods" are the same Hebrew word, elohim. The verse is a comparison, and the text does not say more about those gods.
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6But who is able to build him a house, since heaven and the heaven of heavens can’t contain him? Who am I then, that I should build him a house, except just to burn incense before him?
In plain English: But who is able to build him a house, since the heavens and the heaven of the heavens cannot contain him? Who am I, that I should build him a house, except to burn incense before him?
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7“Now therefore send me a man skillful to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue, and who knows how to engrave engravings, to be with the skillful men who are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.
In plain English: Now send me a skillful man to work in gold, silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue, who knows how to engrave engravings, to be with the skillful people who are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father appointed.
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8“Send me also cedar trees, cypress trees, and algum trees out of Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon. Behold, my servants will be with your servants,
In plain English: Send me also cedar, cypress and algum wood from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut the wood of Lebanon. And see, my servants will be with your servants,
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9even to prepare timber in abundance for me; for the house which I am about to build will be great and wonderful.
In plain English: to prepare wood for me in abundance, for the house which I am about to build will be great and wonderful.
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10Behold, I will give to your servants, the cutters who cut timber, twenty thousand cors of beaten wheat, twenty thousand baths of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.”
In plain English: See, I give to your servants the wood cutters, those who cut the wood, twenty thousand cors of beaten wheat, twenty thousand baths of barley (the Hebrew says cors), twenty thousand baths of wine and twenty thousand baths of oil."
Good to know: Here Solomon gives the wood cutters twenty thousand cors of wheat, twenty thousand baths of barley (the Hebrew word for the barley measure is "cors", as for the wheat), twenty thousand baths of wine and twenty thousand baths of oil. says Solomon gave Hiram "twenty thousand cors of wheat for food to his household, and twenty cors of pure oil" year by year, and does not mention barley or wine. The text does not explain the differences.
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11Then Huram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon, “Because Yahweh loves his people, he has made you king over them.”
In plain English: Huram the king of Tyre answered in a document which he sent to Solomon: "Because Yahweh loves his people, he has made you king over them."
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12Huram continued, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given to David the king a wise son, endowed with discretion and understanding, who would build a house for Yahweh and a house for his kingdom.
In plain English: Huram said, "Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth, who has given King David a wise son, who knows insight and understanding, who will build a house for Yahweh and a house for his kingdom.
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13Now I have sent a skillful man, endowed with understanding, Huram-abi,
In plain English: Now I have sent a skillful man, with understanding, Huram-abi (word for word: Huram my father),
The Hebrew words: "Huram-abi" is word for word "Huram my father". The text does not say whether "my father" is part of his name or a title.
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14the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan; and his father was a man of Tyre. He is skillful to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in iron, in stone, in timber, in purple, in blue, in fine linen, and in crimson, also to engrave any kind of engraving and to devise any device, that there may be a place appointed to him with your skillful men, and with the skillful men of my lord David your father.
In plain English: the son of a woman from the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre. He knows how to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone and wood, in purple, blue, fine linen and crimson, and to engrave any engraving and to design any design that is given to him, with your skillful people and the skillful people of my lord David your father.
Good to know: This verse says the craftsman's mother was "of the daughters of Dan" and his father a man of Tyre. says he was "the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali" and his father a man of Tyre, and calls him Hiram (). The text does not explain the difference.
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15“Now therefore, the wheat, the barley, the oil, and the wine which my lord has spoken of, let him send to his servants;
In plain English: Now therefore, the wheat, the barley, the oil and the wine which my lord has spoken of, let him send to his servants.
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16and we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as you need. We will bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa; then you shall carry it up to Jerusalem.”
In plain English: And we will cut wood from Lebanon, as much as you need. We will bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa, and you will take it up to Jerusalem."
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17Solomon counted all the foreigners who were in the land of Israel, after the census with which David his father had counted them; and they found one hundred fifty-three thousand six hundred.
In plain English: Solomon counted all the foreigners who were in the land of Israel, after the census with which David his father had counted them, and one hundred fifty-three thousand six hundred were found.
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18He set seventy thousand of them to bear burdens, eighty thousand who were stone cutters in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred overseers to assign the people their work.
In plain English: He appointed seventy thousand of them to carry burdens, eighty thousand to be stone cutters in the hill country, and three thousand six hundred as overseers to make the people work.
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